Israel’s air defense capabilities are in good condition, Rafael Chairman and former MK Yuval Steinitz said in a Thursday interview with 103FM, addressing Israel’s preparedness amid rising tensions with Iran.
The interview comes a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House regarding the upcoming nuclear negotiations with Tehran.
“Our capabilities are good to very good,” Steinitz said. “I can’t go into details, but it was published yesterday that the David’s Sling system underwent a significant upgrade following lessons from the war, and its ability to intercept threats of all kinds, including long-range threats, has greatly improved.”
Steinitz explained that Israel’s air defense capabilities are a multi-layered system that includes the Arrow-3, David’s Sling, and Iron Dome.
“I don’t see a scenario in which missiles are fired at us, and we do not intercept the majority of them,” he said. “We have significantly improved the capabilities of our system, and the example cleared for publication yesterday is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Regarding Israel’s new ‘Or Eitan’ laser interception system, he clarified that while it is currently designed to shoot down rockets from Lebanon and Syria, it cannot yet counter Iranian ballistic missiles. However, Steinitz believes that “in a few years it will be able to do that as well.”
When asked whether Israelis should feel reassured about interception capabilities, Steinitz reaffirmed that “Israel has the best air defense system in the world, and it is only improving.”
According to Steinitz, Israel’s ability to intercept missiles “depends on the form of the attack. A significant part of the defense was also the fact that we eliminated a large portion of the launchers and missiles before they were able to fire them from Iranian soil.”
Addressing reports that the US may soon develop an American-made Iron Dome, Steinitz explained that the system is complex and does not “provide 100 percent protection,” adding that what Trump has ordered is “the launch of a program whose goal is to replicate the Israeli missile defense concept and adapt it for the US.”
He stressed that Iron Dome is not an American project, and is “100% Rafael, not any other company, not in Israel and not in the US,” despite Trump’s remarks. “At the same time, the fact that [Trump] is speaking about Iron Dome time and again only underscores the magnitude of the achievement and the uniqueness of this system.”
Israel will not allow Iran to rebuild nuclear project
On the matter of US negotiations with Iran, Steinitz believes that “any agreement with Iran is not good,” even more so today, when the regime is “on the verge of collapse, and there is no reason in this situation to hand them a lifeline.”
However, Steinitz said, that Netanyahu has made it explicitly clear that Israel will not allow Iran to rebuild its nuclear capabilities.
“Israel will not allow Iran to implement its plan to produce tens of thousands of ballistic missiles to threaten Israeli civilians,” he added, noting that “If Iran is preparing to attack us, it is clear that a preemptive strike must be considered.”
“As for the nuclear program, there is no question at all — nuclear is absolutely unacceptable.”
Steinitz further said that Netanyahu does consult with him “from time to time,” as being Rafael’s chairman allows one to be “privy to many confidential matters, and that allows the prime minister and me to speak from time to time and to consult or advise on security and strategic issues.”
Steinitz also voiced his support regarding the potential privatization of Rafael, saying that “it will take time, but it will happen.”